Lana's Path: The Path Not Taken
by Chunk127
Summary: Post-Series: Lana is faced with a life altering decision when Superman dies.


I don't own Smallville

* * *

Lana stood at the foot oh her dresser collecting clothes for the sad event she can't believe it. There are moments in your life that define you and make you who you are. She knows that more then most at the age of thirty two. The meteor shower, finding out the truth about her 'son' and realizing the kind of man Lex was. There are good moments like finding out about Clark after six years and then there are bad ones. Ones that eat at you and pick at you until you're raw. Right now she is living one of the worst looking at the newspaper from two days ago.

"Superman is dead"

Lana refused to believe it at first. She couldn't believe it not Clark there was no power of evil on earth that could take him down. Not Grundy, not Intergang, not even the great Lex Luthor. Sadly Lana forgot about what they buried under the earth. She still can't believe Doomsday was able to kill him. He fought it before at twenty two and walked away just fine and she highly doubts Diana would let him get flabby in hand to hand. But all she has to do is turn on the TV or look in the newspaper and she'll see. Star Reporter of the Daily Planet Lois Lane-Kent an inconsolable mess cradling Superman's corpse in her arms.

Lana got dressed and she's happy Lois was there for Clark when Lex made sure she no longer could be. She guesses her and Clark are just not meant to be. Maybe not in this time but she can do it she can save Clark she knows exactly how to. Well if that's not an idea she doesn't know what is.

* * *

Lana walked up somberly to the Kent Farm and knocked on the door. When it opened she saw a little boy who quickly got weak and fell to the floor. Lana opened the door and ran in but quickly saw it hurt the boy even more and realized he was kryptonian and backed out the door. "Can you get Martha Kent?"

The boy nodded as he got up and disappeared in a blur.

Martha came out her hair was turning gray from a long life and the stress of Washington considering who's running it. She smiled a little and opened the door and hugged Lana who just as quickly hugged her back.

"I would have come back sooner but I was in Paris. I didn't know." Lana lied but rolled her eyes. "No… I did know I just couldn't come here because I spent the last three days crying."

Martha just held her tighter she's thankful she came. "You're here now it's all that matters."

Lana broke free. "So how's Lois holding up think she can stand to talk to me?"

"I think she can talk to you." Martha replied. "I think she'd want to too."

* * *

Lana headed up stairs to Clark's old room and saw Lois crying her eyes out into his old high school jersey. "This is a bad time I can come back."

"This is normal now." Lois replied. "Small…Clark is gone I'm going to have to get use to it at some point."

Lana nodded and took a seat next to her on the bed. "So I saw the little boy and he got sick when he came I thought you and Clark couldn't."

Lois smiled realizing she still has one kryptonian man in her life that she loves. "Oh we didn't we kind of adopted Chris. He was Zod's but after we stabilized the phantom zone we adopted him. It pays having two billionaires on three and four on your speed dial."

"Who's number one and two?" Lana asked out of curiosity.

"Chloe and Martha" Lois answered.

Lana nodded. "So is there anything you want to talk about or need help with?"

Lois shakes her head no. "Just you being here is enough maybe you can tell me how the hell you're keeping this calm through all this."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

Lois looked at her and started to explain she never though in a million years thought shed be friends with Lana. "You and I don't have all that much in common princess. Except for one thing. We both know what it meant to truly be loved by Clark."

Lana nodded and felt a tear running down her cheek. "I loved Clark... but Clark loved you more."

Lois got out of bed and got her dress for the funeral. "Oh come on Lana we both know I was his silver medal thanks to Lex."

Lana stood up she always imagined she would keep this to herself but not anymore, not today. "Clark made a choice Lois. He chose you."

"The only reason Clark opened his eyes to me was that you became walking kryptonite and we both know it. He left a dust trail for me as soon as you came back at Chloe's wedding." Lois answered.

Lana got to her feet. "I think I knew senior year but didn't want to admit it but Clark, he made his choice five years ago."

Lois thought back and remembered five years ago. It was the worst fight they ever had. Clark made an argument that Lois didn't love him she just loved the idea of Superman. It got so bad Lois threw him out for a month before Chloe and Oliver started playing peacekeeper and Lois had to admit she does love Superman but she loves and wanted to marry homegrown farmboy Clark Kent which was why she now she joined him in glasses as a show of support. "What happened?"

Lana ran down what happened. "Emil made a breakthrough with the suit figuring he could mutate it with the DNA of a certain bug that I no longer remember. I'd keep some of the speed and strength and most of the suit would go inert including the kryptonite. I talked to Clark about it before I became an insect queen I asked if we had a chance."

Lois frowned mainly because Clark never told her this. "What did Smallville say?"

"He said he loves me that a part of him always will. But his love for me is nothing compared to the love he has for you and he was right we loved each other but there was always lies and secrets even after the kryptonian bomb." Lana admitted.

Lois got up and hugged her thankful to hear that even if it was only for a short while Clark Kent loved every single trace of her. "Thank you"

Lana saw Lois out and quickly went to work rampaging the room looking for what she came for Clark can be saved if she finds it. She goes through keepsake after keepsake and finds her white necklace that must have been left here. Lana doesn't say a word and just drapes it over her neck.

"I think you're looking for this right?"

Lana turned around and saw Lois holding Kara's Legion ring. She guesses Kara knew Clark was going to die and came back to take over where he left off. "Yes"

"I'm not trying to sound offended but don't you think I've thought this through." Lois replied of course this idea came to her head.

Lana got up from her spot and looked at her. "Clark went back in time to save me once before I owe him."

Lois looked at her. She knows what going back in time also does and she won't do it because Clark wouldn't want that. "I'm not going say a word. I'm not even going to stop you because Owlman showed us every time we make a decision all we do is make a new world. But Clark wouldn't want this you know the price of resurrection."

Lois put the legion ring on her bureau and left it to her.

Lana got up and took the ring looking over the gold L ring she can use it turn back time to even earlier get Clark on the right track and fix everything. Or she can stay here in a world where Clark is dead but she knows he went out the way he chose to and respect his decision.

Lana thinks it over and makes her decision.

* * *

Lana doesn't say a word and puts the ring away. Lois is right Clark wouldn't want this. He learned the lesson the hard way twice. Jonathon Kent paid for it the first time and Jimmy's brother paid for it the second time. Lana pulls herself together and heads downstairs.

* * *

Lana stands at the back of the church seeing kings popes and everyone here for the funeral of Superman. Who would have thought all of this for Clark? Lana is taken by surprise when everyone stood and stared in whispers. Lana jumps up for a moment to see what has everyone on edge the president of the United States has just shown up as Lois runs up and greets him the only way anyone should greet him… by slapping the taste out of his mouth.

"Bastard" Lois shouted shaking her hand. She won't deny it. It felt great hitting Lex Luthor.

Lex puts a hand up stopping the secret service. "Lois"

She doesn't say a word just she just smacks again she starts to break. "You've been trying to get rid of him for years all you had to do was get an intergalactic soccer hooligan are you happy now?"

She keeps punching his stomach breaking more and more and Lex just hugs her.

"I'm going to miss him too." Lex replied with a tear in his eyes.

Lana walks up to Lex and listens in as he talks to Batman giving him a folder. Lana looks at it and sees a really complex sample of DNA that can't be what she thinks it is can it.

Batman looks over the folder as his mouth opens in shock. "How to map kryptonian DNA to a human being."

"Only needs a healthy egg." Lex replied. "So I'd suggest to Mrs. Lane-Kent to lay off the cigarettes."

Batman looked at the DNA. "Why are you giving me this now?"

Lex frowned realizing it now how many years he's wasted with his obsession of trying to one up him. Superman was right if he wanted to save the world he would have. "Yesterday I copied his powers for five minutes with a sample of his blood and made that. I saw how he sees the world I saw how he sees us all."

"Too little too late." Batman replied thought it could be good news to Conner and Kara one day.

Lex simply nodded and headed for the door. "Tell that to the clown or the Red Hood."

Bruce squirmed seeing Lex has worked out who Jason is now does that mean he knows who he is too?

* * *

Lana listened to Jonn Jones as he spoke the eulogy.

"Though we gather here today bound together in sorrow and loss, we share a precious gift. We are all of us privileged to live a life that has been touched by Superman. The Man of Steel possessed many extraordinary gifts, and he shared them with us freely. None of these gifts were more remarkable than his ability to discern what needed to be done, and his unfailing courage in doing it, whatever the personal cost. Let us all strive to accept his gift and pass it along, as an ongoing tribute to Kal-El of Krypton, the immigrant from the stars who taught us all how to be heroes."

Lana left the funeral she couldn't bare another word. Lana stood outside the church trying to keep it together the ring doesn't seem that bad an idea now.

"Lana Lang falling apart if only 14 year old Clark could see this."

Lana laughed hearing the voice of the vice president of the Untied States. "Hey Pete"

Lana turned to him and hugged him sure saw he was older and had a goatee but still Pete. "You missed your boss."

Pete nodded. "Yeah he's been acting strange all day. I actually came to warn Chloe he might have his original memories back."

Lana leaned against the wall Lex seems to have reformed... for now and even if he didn't. He's actually doing a frighteningly good job as president. Lana looked at Pete and admitted. "I don't even remember the last thing I said to Clark."

"At least you have happy memories my last ones were me yelling at him because I screwed up my life poor pitiful me."

Lana touched his shoulder for support. "I remember you left as friends just as you always were. You want to get out of here maybe reminisce on happier times."

Pete nodded. "Sure that sounds like fun."

* * *

Lana held her head waking up the next day. Too much reminiscing. If you want to get more technical too much drinking as she opens her eyes and sees arms wrapped around her. OK this wasn't how she expected last night to end. She pulled the sheets up to modestly cover herself as she runs into the bathroom after collecting her clothes. Lana came out dressed and saw Pete gathering his clothes she did not expect this.

Pete looked at her. "Lana I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I barely even remember."

"I know." Lana got out feeling just as awkward. But why she has to move on form Clark somehow maybe last night was just an unconscious effort to start. "Do you want to talk about this?"

Pete nodded and the two headed out. Maybe it was grief, despair or always being alone but the just talked all day caught up on who they were are and who they are becoming. And decide to go out on an actual date just to try it.

* * *

A year has passed since Clark's death and to Lana the year couldn't have passed quick enough. She and Pete stayed together the whole year. The only difficult part was avoiding Lex but thankfully president and vice president are kept far apart enough. What Lana didn't expect was three months into dating Pete she ended up pregnant. Pete was as supportive as anyone could be and set up everything for them and it will be a normal healthy baby boy. Which was more then they can say for Lana. She bled internally during labor as she is stuck now looking at this blank vacuum of space until she sees a familiar face in it. She'd recognize those baby blues anywhere. "Clark"

Clark smiled and looked at Lana. "You pushed it close Lana."

Lana shrugged innocently. "So am I dead."

"Yes, but me and you are getting second chances." Clark answered honestly.

Lana simply chuckled. "Bruce was right you are too stubborn to die."

Clark laughed he figured Bruce wouldn't give up on him he doesn't take death well. "So are you happy?"

Lana nodded with a smile especially since she's going back. "Yes it's not us but Pete makes me happy and I want to see my child."

Clark nodded. "I agree and I want to see Lois, Chris, and a new baby from the heart beats… so what are we waiting for?" Clark asked as white light emerged.

Lana smiled and took his hand. "On 3"

Clark smiled. "1"

"2" Lana said

"3" They both ran into the light.

* * *

Lana opened her eyes and saw Pete resting at her side and from the looks and smell hasn't left in at least a day.

Pete opened his eyes and smiled seeing Lana look at him. "You're awake."

"What happened…? Clark?" Lana tried to shoot up but Pete wouldn't let her.

"Clark's fine he's in the nursery. You started bleeding internally you've been in a coma for three days after they finally stopped the blood loss which was not easy."

Lana rested against the bed in comfort knowing her son is alright as a nurse came in with a glowing smile but Lana cut her off. "I know... Superman's back." Lana pulled Pete close and kissed him. Lois and Clark can have their life and she'll have hers. Clark Kent and Lana Lang were not meant to be but as of right now she could care less.

* * *

Author's Notes

I was going to pair her up with Lex but two things stopped it. One I just got done reading the S11 comics and Lex is actually a far worse person or more vicious anyway without his memories. And two the whole point of Lexmas was he chose to walk away from Lana so it didn't strike me as it would make sense to say yeah he got everything he wanted now money, power, and Lana.


End file.
